Prioritizing Human Centered Design

Federal Chief Information Officer Clare Martorana recently highlighted (bit.ly/3W7Ct2U) the tangible benefits of adopting human-centered design (HCD) in government services. Reflecting on her tenure, she emphasized that the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) issuance of 20 technology-focused memos was not merely about policy creation but about fundamentally transforming service delivery to be more efficient, secure, and seamless.

Martorana stated, “We are not a gigantic organization. We are an organization that has subject matter experts, that have policy writing knowledge and experience, and then also we married that with implementation excellence.” This approach underscores the importance of engaging stakeholders to design policies and technologies that work effectively, ensuring that government services are intuitive and accessible to all citizens.

Allocore shares this commitment to human-centered design – both in policy development and also in how technology impacts service delivery. We believe technology should simplify life by addressing real needs—whether it’s assisting a single parent applying for a grant or a small business owner navigating a disaster relief application. By prioritizing HCD, our platforms feature easy-to-use interfaces, mobile-friendly tools, and multi-language support. These design choices reduce errors, shorten application times, and ensure more people receive the assistance they need.
 
And we can also see the impact OMB’s emphasis on HCD is making on the ground at agencies across the government. One example at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is how they used HCD to drive huge improvements during their website overhaul. By putting user needs at the forefront of its redesign effort, CDC improved accessibility and user experience, making it easier for the public to find critical health information and cut its “digital fat” by 65 percent. As noted by a CDC official at the time, “Human Centered Design was absolutely the cornerstone of what we’re doing. We made every decision thinking about what the users needed.” (bit.ly/3PpBCXB)
 
When agencies put people’s needs first, it helps to rebuild trust in government services. Citizens gain confidence that their government works for them, and agencies experience reduced backlogs, fewer errors, and decreased frustration on all sides. Human-centered design isn’t just a smart approach—it’s essential for building government systems that are efficient and truly serve the people.